The Magic of Dreams
by soprano-in-waiting
Summary: Kyoko just received a book of fairytales. What happens when fiction blurs the line with reality? One shot. Edited version, with a short add-in.


_I do not own anything of Skip Beat! I merely had fun writing this scene. Notice: This has been edited because I realized a week or so after I posted it originally that I had gotten the audition date wrong. _

There have always been people who have said that Mogami Kyoko has a wild imagination. Now, they could be telling the truth, but what if they're wrong? Is it possible that she is simply more observant than the rest? Those who have known her personally are probably clutching their sides, rolling on the floor in laughter. Why, you ask? Because to her friends and coworkers, she is the most oblivious woman they have ever met. But there is a difference between not seeing, and unconsciously ignoring what is seen.

The mind is a wonderful thing. It has ways of processing information that the scientific world is still amazed at to this day. People gather and digest data in various ways. Some assert that dreams are able to reveal hidden secrets that the dreamers would not normally contemplate when awake. This story begins late one evening, when the city is falling asleep, and the deepest part of the mind is beginning to awake….

_Earlier that day…_

"A…arigato, Maria-chan! I love it." A bright smile lit up the amber eyes in the young woman's face as she suddenly dropped to her knees on the floor wrapping her arms around the little, blonde girl who had just given her this perfect gift: a storybook, covered in glittering fairies and castles.

"Thank _you_, Onee-chan. You helped me start talking to Father again. And you've been the best big sister I could ever want. If you hadn't come to the audition last year, I might never have met you."Maria chuckled as her onee-chan started to blush at the memory of that day. Kyoko could see the happiness radiating from Maria Takarada, one of the many lives that she had, unknowingly, changed for the better, and gave her another hug.

Strange to think that one year ago today, she had utterly bombed an audition to join LME. Since then, Kyoko had become the founding member of the Love Me section, (with their pink uniforms visible from space), starred in successful dramas, dealt with stalkers and stars, and developed several strong friendships along the way. She had a knack for reaching into people and helping them to find the good and lovable things in themselves, all while completely missing it in her own self. In her eyes, she was the plain, boring girl, who was only able to take care of others.

"Mogami-san!" a masculine voice called her name. Kyoko rapidly turned around to find Tsuruga Ren walking into the Love Me headquarters. Yashiro Yukihito was close behind, although strangely, he appeared to be a little winded. She immediately disregarded this fact and jumped up to show Tsuruga-san her newest acquisition. "Tsuruga-san! Look! Maria-chan gave me a story book!" Her face was positively glowing and her happiness was contagious, causing the few spectators to grin in response. After a few moments, Kyoko realized that she had just exclaimed about a book of fairytales to two grown men, one of which was the most popular actor in Japan. Her expression quickly morphed from one of joy to horror, as she attempted to start bowing in profuse apology. Attempted, because at that moment, Ren caught her shoulders and stopped her from completing the all too familiar action.

The tall actor sighed. "Mogami-san? We're friends, aren't we?" His voice was painfully polite.

"Y...Yes. Why?" Kyoko was slightly confused.

"If we're friends, then you don't need to apologize for sharing good news with me." His demon-killing smile was at its brightest, causing two of Kyoko's faithful little minions to drop dead.

"Oh….well…. I guess." She replied beaming brightly, glad that she hadn't made her sempai angry. "But I didn't think that you would want to hear about a storybook, considering that it's full of fairy tales, and well….not something that you would be interested in, Tsuruga-san. Maria-chan just gave it to me, and I got a little over excited. I apologize." She gave a slight bow before the others could stop her. She was back to earth, at least as much as could be expected with a gate way to heaven in her hands.

"Maria-chan. Do you want to read a story with me?" Kyoko asked, wanting to reciprocate in some fashion to her little friend.

With the nod of a head and a wide smile, the young girl bounced to her side as they took a seat on the couch there. Soon their heads were close together as Maria read out loud to Kyoko. Soon a look of pure pleasure was plastered all over Kyoko's face as she was imagining the story unfolding in her mind's eye.

"Yashiro-san." Ren whispered. "Do you know what the reason was for the gift?" Ren quietly questioned his manager, as he was running through possible reasons in his mind. _Her birthday was two months ago, along with Christmas. White Day is a few weeks away. She hasn't graduated high school yet. Maybe she graduated the Love Me section? _He took a quick look at the tawny haired teenager. _Nope, still wearing that horrendous outfit. Did I forget something? _It wasn't visible on his face, but Ren was panicking. Had he missed an opportunity to get closer to the young lady?

Yashiro thought about it for a minute, his train of thought eerily similar to his charges, when it hit him. He grimaced. "It must be the anniversary of when she started at LME. She would have been part of the February audition last year, so I suppose that's what Maria considers her first day. I knew it was getting close to a year, but I didn't think it was today." He had planned on reminding Ren of the day she officially joined, but didn't think he'd get beaten to the punch by a grade-schooler who decided to celebrate the failed audition instead. It was one of the few times that Yashiro had failed to keep track of anything relating to Kyoko, and he was mentally kicking himself for doing so.

With that explanation in mind, he returned his full attention to the cozy pair on the other side of the room.

"…and the prince and princess lived happily ever after. The End." Maria finished reading with finality to the cliché last words.

"Thank you, Maria-chan." Kyoko suddenly remembered the time. "You should probably head home, before your grandfather starts looking for you. It's starting to get late, and I don't want him to be worried," Her concern for the man who had helped her so much showing through her polite reminder.

Seeing an opportunity, Ren remembered his original purpose for coming to this wing. "Mogami-san, would you care for a ride home?" He flashed another smile, and decimated another hidden regiment of demons.

Kyoko hesitated. She loved spending time with her sempai, but didn't want to cause him trouble. "Are you sure? I don't want to inconvenience you."

"I'm done for the day, so it's no trouble."

"Okay, just let me get my things together."

A few minutes later, despite Yashiro's best attempts, Ren was stealing glances at his young kohai in his rearview mirror. His heart skipped a small beat at the unguarded and beautiful expression on her face. He had to smile when he saw her utterly absorbed in the fantasy world that was created from the stories in front of her. He wanted to spend the entire evening watching her, but alas, they had arrived at the Darumaya, and he couldn't find a plausible excuse for staying.

"Mogami-san?" She hadn't heard.

"Mogami-san?" Ren repeated a little louder. She was still lost.

"Kyoko-san?" He thought that the familiarity would wake up, and he was right. He silently chuckled to himself as she looked up with a startled face and saw both of the men looking at her. That endearing blush started to spread across her cheeks, and Ren's heart stopped for a second.

"I'm sorry, I was reading." She put the book back and started getting out of the car. "Thank you for the ride, Tsuruga-san. I hope you have a pleasant evening." She bowed slightly and headed into the little restaurant; Ren watching her the entire time. He wished he could follow her, but knew that it was impossible this time. He put the car into drive, and dropped off Yashiro before heading home to his sparse and lonely apartment.

Inside, Kyoko quickly changed and dug out the book again. She started reading a new tale, and was soon adrift in her fairy world again. When the okami-san looked in on her, she was sound asleep, the book opened to an illustration of a fairy prince. She smiled at the peacefully, innocent sleep of her young boarder and turned off the light, leaving her to her dreams.

"This ball is for the most beautiful people in the kingdom. The prince is looking for his future bride. Why would anyone want _you _there?" Kyoko's mother was at the door to a large ornate carriage, about to step in. She turned back to look at her bedraggled daughter. Kyoko had been cleaning all day, and taking care of the large cottage all by herself. "You're dirty and smell of animals and smoke. You don't have any hint of attractiveness at all. Look at yourself, you're wearing rags. They would drive you away at the gate! Go back into the house. I don't even want to look at you." With this Mogami Saena climbed in and shut the door. The carriage pulled away, leaving a quietly crying Kyoko alone with the farm cats.

Kyoko was about to fall to her knees sobbing, but instead fled to the forest in back of the house. She ran through the trees until she came upon the river, and her favorite spot in the whole world. It was here that she had met the only person who had ever dared her mother to be Kyoko's friend: Corn. Even though it had been over ten years since she had seen him, the kind face of the older boy was still able to make her smile, even through her bitterest tears. She tugged on the string around her neck to pull a little pouch from beneath her stained blouse. She drew out a purple-blue stone that her friend had given her on the last day she had seen him.

"_Whenever she makes you feel sad, Kyoko, just hold onto this, and pretend you're telling me your worries. This stone is magic, and will take all your sadness away." _

Kyoko could still see his beautiful smile and his warm chocolate eyes peaking from behind a few strands of blonde hair as he placed it in the palm of her hand. She closed her eyes and took a breath. She wrapped her dirt smudged hands around the cool talisman and focused on her problems. Soon the thoughts of her friend helped to loosen the clinging threads of unhappiness, and the gentle sounds of the river washed them away from her. Soon she was sitting against one of a cluster of large rocks, just gazing at the star-filled night sky.

"Ouch!" Kyoko was startled to hear a feminine voice exclaim in the dark. She froze, and then fumbled while putting the stone away as she tried to determine where the rustling sounds were coming from. She thought they were coming from the other side of the rock, so she quietly positioned herself to peek from her hiding spot. To say the least, the sight that greeted her was not something that one saw every day in the woods. Two figures were standing there. The shorter of the two, a lady from what she could see, was rubbing her foot. "Dearest, please watch where you step. You wouldn't want to ruin my outfit, now would you? Any closer and you would have caught my dress." To Kyoko's surprise the lady had pulled out a thin stick and a light had appeared at the end of it. _A magic wand! She must be a fairy! _The light was enough that Kyoko could see the splendid attire of both persons. The tall, mustachioed man was dressed in the elegance of the French court: a coat and pants of deep emerald silk, threaded with gold embroidery, lace at every cuff. He was posed with a gilded, wooden cane as he watched his companion inspect her own costume. The lady, no the fairy, was attired in the matching silks fashioned into a splendid gown, but with less lace and peacock feathers in her golden curls.

"Jelly, we must be going. As much as I admire your lovely attire, the prince's ball will not be held up for a pulled hem. We also need to inform His Royal Highness that we could not complete the request he had asked of us. I hate to give him such depressing news, but alas…." She could hear a sigh escape his lips. The despondency in his face was enough to wrench any heart. She couldn't help it.

Kyoko moved from her hiding spot and dropped onto her knees in a deep bow in front of the couple. "I sincerely apologize for eavesdropping, but I would like to help you, if I can. I can't do much, but I place myself at your disposal and promise to do my best."

The sudden interruption shocked the two for a few moments. The surprise shifted to sudden interest on the blonde's face.

"Lory, hun… You don't think…?" Jelly whispered to her companion.

"Perhaps. It is possible. This is the place…" He dropped to a knee in front of the girl and gently coaxed her up, and looked into her heart-shaped face. Her golden eyes entranced him.

"What's your name, young one?" Lory's interest had been piqued at both her appearance and her behavior. She was still kneeling there, waiting for some order or request from them. Not because they asked, but because she sincerely wanted to help.

"Mogami Kyoko, sir" She replied in a respectful voice.

"What are you doing out here in the woods when there's a ball at the palace? Surely you were invited." His sympathetic tone was reassuring, even if his dress was a bit intimidating. He had a puzzled look that forced her to answer the question, even if the answer made her miserable.

"An invitation had been delivered to the house, but my mother forced me to stay behind. She was right to do it though. I'm not beautiful or important enough to be there." The tears had threatened to start falling again, but she clenched her hand around the pouch and took deep, calming breaths. "I did want to go, if even to see all the magnificent people, and the prince…." Her voice softly trailed off at the last point. Her eyes returned to the ground.

"What is that in your hand?" He hadn't missed her clutching the small pouch like it was her lifeline.

"This?" She held out the small bag, and at his nod, she opened it to tip out the dear charm.

"My friend, Corn, gave this to me when I was little. He didn't want me to face my mother without a friend. He promised that it would help me take away all my sad feelings."

"May I see that?" Lory asked in a whisper. Kyoko gently transferred it to his hand. He turned it over in his palm, examining it in the wand light. The light and excitement in his eyes told Jelly that they had finally completed their task. Her eyes widened and she took a closer look at the dark haired young lady in front of them.

"Kyoko, would you like to go to the ball?"

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her…the plain and boring girl. They wanted _her _to go the ball? She wanted to, but….

"I can't." She sighed.

"What? Why not? You told us you were invited, so I don't see what the problem is." Lory didn't know what was wrong. He looked to Jelly, who was just as surprised by Kyoko's response as he was.

"Look at me. I'm filthy and my clothes are in rags. How would that look at the palace? It would reflect badly on Their Highnesses as hosts." She would have continued in this stream if an unexpected sound hadn't disturbed her ears.

The laughter that followed caused her to look up from the ground. Kyoko was confused. Why would these people, who had been so kind to her before, suddenly be laughing at her. It made her cringe inside, and she got up to return home.

Sensing he had upset her, Lory started after her and caught her by the arm. "Please, don't take it wrongly Kyoko, but if that's the only excuse, there's no reason why you can't go. I think you forgot about something." She turned to look into his face, and found a kind, but mischievous, smile gracing his expression. She looked around and saw Jelly standing there, wand in hand, and a matching grin. It suddenly dawned on her. _Magic!_

In the twinkling of an eye, Kyoko was surrounded with a warm golden light. It wrapped around her, enveloping her in its glow, making her skin tingle as it spread. She had to close her eyes to keep from being blinded, but even then the radiance was visible through her eyelids. The rough cloth that she had been wearing was becoming softer, and more slippery. Her hair was being pulled upwards and formed into some unknown style. As the glow faded, she dared to open her eyes and surveyed what changes the magic had worked on her.

The first thing she noticed was that her skin was as soft and white as any lady she had ever seen. No more dirt. Her rough spun wool dress had been replaced with a simply designed royal purple gown. The clean lines and draping accentuated her petite frame and natural beauty. "What do you think, love?" Jelly surveyed her work. Lory was astonished. _This is what was under that dirt? Maybe His Highness isn't as hopeless as I thought…_

Kyoko was still astounded at her new appearance, but as soon as she was able to move, she was giving Jelly a thankful hug, and making her gratefulness known quite loudly with a continuous stream of "Thank You!"s. Kyoko then turned to Lory and did the same, surprising him in her enthusiasm.

He quickly recovered though, and suddenly realized he hadn't returned the stone to Kyoko. Maybe there was one more thing he could do for her. He grasped the stone in both hands and concentrated. A light shone through his fingers for a brief second.

"I think you did an absolutely fabulous job, as always, Jelly, but there's something missing…" Lory took the stone, now formed into a necklace and held it up before Kyoko's eyes. His efforts were well rewarded. She thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. He placed it about her neck and took a step backwards. "There. Perfect." The sincere look of admiration made her blush, which just added to her loveliness.

"I still can't believe you did this all for me. I can't give you anything in return." The young lady pouted, sad that she couldn't repay the kindness her new friends had done her.

"Yes, there is something you can do." Kyoko perked up, eager for any chance to be helpful.

"Enjoy the party. It's a once in a lifetime chance you know." Lory replied. Whiskers and a feather sticking from his lips would not have been out of place. He looked for the entire world like the cat that ate the canary. While perplexed at the expression, Kyoko quickly nodded her agreement. It was something she could do, and gladly. She would remember this night for the rest of her life.

"Well, we must be going. Otherwise, we're all going to miss the festivities. Kyoko dear, we would take you with us personally, but that just isn't possible. Is this a suitable alternative?" With a wave of his cane, Lory had conjured a coach and four to rival anything she had ever seen. The magnificent white stallions were a vision as they arched their necks, eager to be moving. He held a hand to help her into the carriage, and when the door was safely closed behind her, she was moving. She stuck her head out the window, waving good bye to her unexpected friends. All she could see was a shimmer in the air as their forms disappeared into the darkness.

The trip to the palace was a wonder. The carriage seemed to be moving like the wind. They had been in the middle of the forest, but soon were heading towards the brightly lit palace which was growing larger and larger on the horizon. Kyoko was completely entranced. So much to look at, and all so beautiful. She gazed about in wonder without end. She hadn't even realized they had stopped until a man opened the carriage door for her. She took the proffered hand and allowed herself to be escorted through the large wooden doors.

If she had been enchanted with the outside, she was completely spellbound with the scene that greeted her in the grand hall. It was filled with a multitude of people, each a gem in this magnificent setting. The assembled guests were clothed in every color and fabric imaginable from rich velvets to heavenly silks. Couples sparkled in the candlelight that surrounded them. Laughter was heard on every hand. A few people glanced her way, and were astonished at the lovely little beauty that had arrived. Luckily, Kyoko didn't notice. If she had, she wouldn't have been able to keep walking across the long carpet, but would have melted into a puddle in the middle of the room.

Kyoko finally took a minute to look at the man who was helping guide her to wherever she was supposed to be. He was quite a bit taller than her, but then again, so were most people in the room, men and women alike. His silver blonde hair was a lovely contrast to the sky blue ensemble he was wearing. The glasses, instead of detracting from his appearance, added to the gentlemanly air that surrounded him. The combined effect of his genteel behavior and sincere smile instantly put her at ease. She tore her eyes from him, and continued with her surveying of the gathered elite.

A small giggle escaped her lips as her eyes lit on a blond jester dressed in the traditional harlequin. He was outrageously flirting with some of the young ladies, even trying to impress them by composing little ditties on the spot for them. Unfortunately, he wasn't having any luck, and kept getting shot down, spectacularly by one raven haired beauty who started whacking him over the head with her fan. Apparently she didn't appreciate his attentions.

A low chuckle reached Kyoko's ears. "He keeps trying, and keeps losing. Shotaro really doesn't know when to quit. Although I would have thought he knew better not to approach Lady Kanae. She has a bit of a temper, as you can see." Her escort's kind voice explained, noticing the direction of her glance. She stifled another laugh, and they continued on.

Kyoko was rather shocked when she became aware that the man next to her had stopped and was bowing to the person on the dais in front of them. She quickly dipped into a low curtsy, certain that she was in front of the prince. She didn't want to add to her apparent rudeness, so she didn't even attempt to peek at him through her long lashes. She was blushing furiously, certain that she had committed a serious _faux pas_.

"My lord, Princess Kyoko." The voice issued from the man who had escorted her so kindly. She quickly looked over to him, her eyes wide in terror. _I'm not a princess, no matter what I keep dreaming. How could he even make such an obvious mistake! The prince is going to think I'm an utter fraud if I don't correct this immediately._

"Thank you, Yashiro-san." Kyoko almost missed the velvety voice because of her inner planning session.

"No! I'm not a princess, Your Highness! I don't know who told him such a thing, but they were wrong. I'm just a lowly country girl. I sincerely apologize." Kyoko was about to drop into a complete dogeza when strong hands stopped her before she could finish. She froze. The touch seemed to stir a memory, but it wasn't quite strong enough to surface. The hands gently lifted her to her full, if short, height. She refused to lift her eyes from the carpet, though. The young lady was sure that if she saw his angry face, she would shame herself by crying in front of someone as important as the prince.

"I'm not a princess." The whisper was barely audible, even to her ears. One lone tear slipped past her barriers and trailed down her face. She heard a sigh in front of her, as the hand slipped beneath her chin and forced her to meet his gaze. His rich, chocolate gaze…

"Corn!" Kyoko breathed. "You're….the prince?"

The tall, blonde coiffed man gave an amused lopsided grin at her flabbergasted expression. His finger gently wiping away the tear that had begun to make its way down the face it didn't belong on.

"Kuon, actually. I never did have the heart to correct you when we were younger."

A deep blush had started to spread at the comprehension that her childhood friend had actually been, well…, royalty. She started to avert her eyes again.

"And you're wrong about being a princess." Kuon asserted. "There's more to being a princess than having the right pedigree. A true princess is kind, selfless, forgiving, encouraging, comforting, and so many more things." The earnestness in his voice was making her blush even further. Her face was ruby by the end.

"A true princess is beautiful, inside and out." He finished.

"I'm not beautiful. I never have been. You can see that, Kuon." She had to point this out, even if it meant making a fool of herself again. Her heartfelt denial caused a pained expression to cross the prince's face.

"I greatly disagree. You're the most beautiful woman here tonight. Look around. Everyone is enthralled with you." Kyoko took a few furtive glances to the side, and then looked again. Every eye seemed to be on her and the prince. The blush returned with full force.

"Wait. How can you be so certain of all those nonsensical things you keep spouting? I haven't seen you in ten years!" She latched on to this point with the persistence of a terrier.

The prince sighed again, that lovely, yet saddening sound. He moved his hand from her face to the necklace about her neck. Kuon took the stone into his palm and guided her hand to cover it. He leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"I've been watching over you, Kyoko. Even if you didn't realize it."

Kyoko found his eyes and seemed to drown in the sudden flow of love that was in those eyes. She was motionless as he leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

Electricity moved through Kyoko's veins. Awakening a hunger that she didn't realize she possessed until this moment. A hunger to be loved, to be cherished. She didn't want this kiss to end and freed her arms to wrap them about his neck as she deepened it.

Kuon, though surprised, wasn't about to give up a chance like this and embraced her tightly, afraid to let her go, lest she run.

Kyoko was thoroughly enjoying the feeling of being treasured in his strong arms. Again, a faint memory flitted across the surface of her mind. She had felt this welcome embrace before, this circle of strength that made her feel safe. She pulled away and looked at his face again. His eyes were still overflowing with love, but Kuon's blond hair was darkening to a deep, almost black, brown…she knew this face….

_Ren! _Kyoko awoke in a cold sweat, alone in her dark bedroom, her heart pounding with an unexpected epiphany…

A few kilometers away, in a king size bed, Tsuruga Ren awoke with empty arms that had been filled a moment ago with a certain, beautiful, honey-eyed princess.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who read this complete fluff, lol. This is my first fanfic **_**ever**_** and probably the longest thing I've ever written outside of research papers for class. The idea just popped into my head one night, and it took me over a week to work up the nerve to write it. . I apologize if the characters are extremely OOC, but I felt I was allowed a little leeway, since it is a dream. I'm more comfortable composing than I am with writing, so please leave a note if you enjoyed my rambling, or if not, let me know what I can do to improve. **

**Special thank you to Mokimo, my beloved biased editor and one of my two best friends who got me hooked on **_**Skip Beat!.**_

**A/N 2: I do dedicate one little add-in to Littlebug21, for getting the idea stuck in my head. If they ever reread this, I hope they have small giggle, because I couldn't stop laughing when they got that idea stuck in my head.****The chance to make Sho a jester was just too good to resist. XD**


End file.
